Two of the top three teams in the American League begin a three-game series in Minneapolis Monday night as the New York Yankees take on the Minnesota Twins. New York won two of the three meetings in the teams’ only other series this season in May.
Road Warriors
The Yankees are now 64-34 this season after dropping their last game against the Rockies 8-4 at home. The New York will be on the road against the Twins, but that shouldn’t worry them as they have a 26-17 away record so far this year. Before losing to the Rockies, the Yankees were rolling on a five-game win streak, and they will look to get back on track.
Veteran 38-year-old left-hander CC Sabathia will be back on the mound to start their series with the Twins. Sabathia is 5-4 this season after winning his last two decisions at the end of June, as he has not factored into a decision in his last two starts. Sabathia has been solid this year, carrying a 4.06 ERA and has 77 strikeouts this season.
New York has had to deal with injuries all season, primarily to their stars, like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. With them being down, others have stepped up very well in their place. Gary Sanchez is leading the team with 24 home runs, while DJ LeMahieu leads the team with 68 runs batted in and his .333 batting average.
The Yankees have been solid all season long and will look to continue to extend their lead in the AL East, where they are up by nine so far over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Needing Some Wins
The Twins are also leading their division, up three games over the Cleveland Indians with a 60-38 record. Minnesota is 4-6 over its last 10 games but will be at home where they are 30-19 this season. The Twins have been very solid this year and will put up a fight against any team on any given day.
Martin Perez will be getting the start for the Twins to begin their series against the Yankees. The 28-year-old is now 8-3 this season. He had a no-decision in his last game against the Mets where he gave up two runs on five hits over six innings on Wednesday. Perez carries a 4.10 ERA this season with 89 strikeouts. He will face a challenge against the Yankees, but he has been solid this year and should put up a good fight.
The Twins are batting .271 as a team so far this season, led by Jorge Polanco’s .305 average. Rightfielder Max Kepler is leading the team with 24 home runs as well as 64 runs batted in. The Twins will have to get the bats going early if they want to keep up with all the firepower the Yankees have.
What To Expect
These are two solid teams, both in first place, with a solid chance to win each game. The Twins are at home, but the Yankees’ road record takes away any advantage the Twins had. I like the Yankees to stay hot and take the win in this game to open their series.
